Inventory and asset systems are rapidly moving towards wireless, electronic management of goods. Data associated with the goods, for example an identification number, is stored in the memory of an electronic tag, which is attached to the goods. In some instances, the tags are attached to individual items. In other instances, tags are attached to the cases in which the items are shipped or to the pallets on which the cases are stacked. In some instances, cases on a pallet are wrapped in plastic to retain the cases on the pallet, and the tags may be placed on the plastic rather than the pallet itself. The data stored in the memory may be wirelessly retrieved by placing the tag in the proximity of an electronic tag reader. The electronic tag reader wirelessly retrieves the data by transmitting a read request to the tag, and the tag responds by transmitting the data to the reader.
A Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) system, composed of RFID tags and RFID readers, is one example of a wireless electronic tag system being used today. Indeed, RFID devices have changed the manner in which many companies manage inventory and assets. Further, specifically related to management of inventory, many companies now demand that their suppliers place RFID tags on all shipped goods, at the pallet level and/or the case level and/or the item level or a combination. RFID tagged goods which arrive at a warehouse are passed by an RFID reader, which wirelessly retrieves the data stored on the RFID tags. In many cases, a company will only pay a supplier for the goods once the RFID tag has been read, either at the case level or the item level.
An RFID reader requires a period of time to retrieve the data from the RFID tag. When RFID tagged goods arrive at a warehouse, the pallets on which the cases are stacked, are generally passed near an RFID reader, often for only a brief period of time. For example, in some instances, the pallet is passed near the RFID reader only while the pallet is being moved from one part of the warehouse to another. In some circumstances, the time period that the pallet is in the proximity of the RFID reader may be less than the time required by the RFID reader to retrieve the data from all the RFID tags on the pallet. Hence, the data received from a given RFID tag may be incomplete, resulting in an inaccurate inventory count. This may, in turn, lead to an incomplete, disputed or delayed payment transmitted between various entities involved in the shipment of the goods.
There remains a need therefore for an improved method and apparatus for wireless management of articles.